Night-latch



(No Model.)

W. R. BRIGGS.

NIGHT LATCH.

No. 348,657. Patented Sept. 7, 1886.

N PETERS, Phn o Lithug UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XVARREN It. BRIGGS, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

NlGHT-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 348,657, dated September 7, 1886.

Application filed January 30, 1886. Serial No. 190,334. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that l, WARREN R. Braces, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in flight-Latches and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in night-latches, and has for its object to provide a night-latch whose construction shall be simple and in which the knobs upon either or upon both sides of the door to which it is attached may be locked fast, so that the latch-bolt can be retracted only by a key; and with these ends in View my invention consists in the details ofconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter fully explained, and then recited in the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may fully understand its constrution and method of operation, I will proceed to describe the same in detail, referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of my latch with one side of the lock-shell removed, and Fig. 2 a section taken at the line a a: of Fig. 1.

Similar letters denote like parts in boththe figures of the drawings.

A is the lock-shell, of ordinary construction, and B is the latclrbolt, preferably reversible, so as to make the latch either right or left handed. A latch-yoke, C, is swiveled to the heel end of the latch-bolt spindle.

D E are independent latch-hubs adapted to be turned by any suitable form of knob-spin dles and knobs, and provided with projecting wings F G, engaging with lugs on the latchyoke, whereby the latter and the bolt may be withdrawn, as in ordinary latches.

II I are a pair of T-shaped locking-tumblers independently pivoted upon a single pin, J, secured in the lock-shell, and provided with square notches adapted to hold upon the extremities of the hub-wings F, and thus hold the latter as against rotation.

K L are a pair of sliding push-bars having bearings in lugs cast on the back shell, whose forward ends are pivotally attached to the up per ends of the short arms of the tumblers, and whose heads protrude through openings in the face-plate of the latch.

M is a spring engaging with both push-bars, and designed to prevent the accidental movement thereof in either direction.

N is a spring-actuated throw-off bar whose forward extremity is adapted to engage, when pushed inward,with the downwardly-projecting short arms of both the locking-tumblers, and whose head appears through an opening in the face-plate, as do the heads of the push bars.

0 is a housing cast in the lock-shell,in which the latch-bolt rests when retractcd,aud through an opening at the back of the housing the bolt spindle passes.

In my latch, when both latch-hubs are free to be turned by the knobs both locking-tumblers are out of engagement with the hubwings and both push-bars are flush with the surface of the face-plate.

To lock either or both hubs against the action of the knobs, either or both push-bars are pressed inward from the surface of the face plate,thereby causing the engagement of either or both notched tumblers with the tops of the hub-wings. The latclrbolt may then be withdrawn by means of a key operating directly or indirectly upon the latch'yoke. To throw off the tumblers and leave the hubs freeto turn, the throwoff bar is pressed inward from the face-plate, and by its engagement with the lower arm of the locking-tumblers raises their notched ends from the hub-wings.

I am aware that it is not new to lock the knobs of a night-latch as against rotation, and I do not desire to be understood as laying claim, broadly, to said independent locking as a feature of my devising.

The features of ready application to either handed doors and the feature of double looking I have found to be exceedingly advantageous, the latter especially for use in passagedoors or those connecting adjoining rooms.

Having thus described my invcntio1i,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a night-latch, the combination, with the independentlatelrhnbs adapted tobe operated I the latter out of engagement with the hub- 10 by any eonvenientknohs, and having upwardi wings substantially as specified.

ly-projeeting wings, of a. pair of T- shaped piv- In testimony whereof I affix my signature in oted and notched 'locking'tumblers, push-bars presence of two witnesses.

5 controlling the same and extending through T T the face-plate and pivoted to said tumblers, ARREL BRIGGS and a throw-off bar whose forward extremity Vitnesses: engages with the downwardly extending arms S. S. XVILLIAMsoN, of the locking-tumblers, and is adapted to raise \V. T. HAVILAND. 

